Italy's Constitutional Court has
rejected a petition to stage a referendum on legalising
euthanasia.
The court said that, if the referendum were approved, "the
Constitutionally necessary minimum protection of human life
would not be preserved". It referred specifically to the
vulnerable.
Supporters of the referendum had gathered around 750,000
signatures calling for it to be held, far more than the half a
million needed to file a request.
"We will continue with other instruments," said Marco Cappato of
the right-to-die Coscioni Association.
At the moment people risk jail of between five and 12 years in
Italy for helping someone to commit suicide.
In 2019 the Constitutional Court called on parliament to pass
legislation dealing with end-of-life issues after ruling
assisted suicide could be legitimate in some cases if the person
wanting to die was in intolerable suffering.
The court is set to decide on whether to approve seven other
referendums on Wednesday.
Six regard Italy's justice system while the other concerns the
decriminalization of growing cannabis.
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